With the March 25th NBA trade deadline just days away, the rumor mill is seemingly in full swing, and the NY Knicks are viewed as a team with the potential to make some big splashes.
As things currently stand, this nitty-gritty group of ballers finds itself residing in the seventh seed out in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 21-21. Looking to end their seven-year playoff drought, the Knickerbockers look to be a team worth keeping an eye on during these final 30 games of action.
However, though New York finds itself rostering an All-Star in Julius Randle, a budding star in his own right in RJ Barrett, and a solid supporting cast, if they seriously wish to be postseason contenders they’ll likely want to make some moves between now and March 25th to better fill out their rotation.
While we here at DK have made several propositions in regard to what Leon Rose and co. should consider pursuing by the deadline, Bleacher Report recently jumped into the mix and concocted a specific trade that could help Tom Thibodeau’s squad “blow up” the 2021 playoff race.
The basis of the deal: bring Lonzo Ball from the Big Easy to the Big Apple.
B/R concocts trade that would send Lonzo Ball to the NY Knicks
The specific package concocted by B/R’s Greg Swartz reads as follows:
Citing the team’s needs for both an upgrade at starting point guard and improved 3-point shooting, the article went on to state that this specific trade could easily wind up solving both of these aforementioned weak spots within the rotation for the NY Knicks.
"Ball has been up-and-down this season, but his overall numbers (14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.1 minutes per game) have been solid. He’s become a reliable three-point shooter since coming to New Orleans (38.0 percent in 99 games) in 2019, a major weakness earlier in his career.The Knicks rank 29th in three-pointers per game (10.5), and Redick could be an immediate difference-maker. He’s making 39.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes this season at age 36. This trade moves the Knicks from almost certainly losing in the first round to a sneaky upset candidate in the Eastern Conference."
In the past, we’ve seen both Redick and Ball individually linked as possible trade targets for the Knicks, and we even responded with an article saying that the team should pass on the former and actively pursue the latter.
However, the idea of acquiring these players together in a package deal is quite enticing.
While giving up one of their two first-round picks in this year’s presumed stacked draft class coupled with Detroit’s 2021 second-round pick may seem a bit steep to some, the concept of bringing back a 23-year-old “do it all” talent like Ball and an all-time great 3-point specialist in Redick is highly provocative and is certainly a proposal to ponder on.
What say you Knicks fans?!
Do you think this specific trade is something New York’s front office should strongly consider, or are there any specific reservations in which you may have?
Whatever your thoughts may be, go ahead and share them in the comments section below!